The Geometry and Symbolic Architecture of Basque Stone Octagons: The Pastoral Sarobe

In the Basque Country (Euskal Herria) stone octagons, known as sarobe in Basque (Euskara), were built using specified dimensions, based on a “geometric foot” standard (0.278m). This standard was incorporated into a septarian system of measurements, e.g., rods of 7 g.ft. in length, called gizabete, poles of 21 g.ft. and a unit called gorapila of 49 g.ft. The dimensions of the stone octagons suggest that ritual importance was attributed to their geometric design, to the size of their perimeter and their orientation. According to local tradition and Basque legal codes, the eight stones on the perimeter had to be oriented to the cardinal and inter-cardinal directions. Field work indicates that over 500 octagons may have existed inside Euskal Herria at some point in the past. In the study region the stone octagons are linked specifically to localized transhumant practices of Basque-speaking shepherds, well documented socio-cultural practices that appear to date back to the Late Bronze Age if not earlier. Inferential evidence suggests that the cognitive origins of their architectural design might reach back to the Neolithic and be related to similar pastoral traditions as well as septarian units of measure encountered along the Atlantic façade. Thus far, even though several of the sites have been Carbon-14 dated, the absolute terminus ante quem non of the design of the octagons is still uncertain.